Overview: Articles regarding derivational suffixes
On this page, you can find an overview of all the articles currently available on Uusi kielemme related to the subject of derivational suffixes and prefixes.
Derivation is the process where new words are made from already existing words. In English, for example, you have the verb “to motivate”, from which we get the noun “motivation” and the adjectives “motivated”, “motivating” and “motivational”. English uses the derivational suffix -ion to make nouns out of verbs, while -al is a common derivational suffix which creates adjectives.
Finnish is notorious for having a very complex derivation system with many derivational suffixes.
- Terminology
- Finnish noun-forming derivational suffixes
- Ystävätär, laulajatar: –tAr
- Kirjasto, väestö: –stO
- Myyjä, opiskelija: –jA
- Soitin, keitin: –in
- Sattuma, esitelmä: –mA
- Opetus, ymmärrys: –Us
- Ostos, päätös: -Os
- Kysymys, hakemus: –mUs
- Vanhuus, terveys: –UUs
- Avanto, luonto: –ntO
- Kysyntä, uusinta: –ntA
- Aavikko, kolikko: -kkO
- Myymälä, neuvola: -lA
- Uiminen, siivoaminen: -minen
- Finnish adjective-forming derivational suffixes
- Finnish adverb-forming derivational suffixes
- Finnish verb-forming derivational suffixes
1. Terminology
While I’m shortly giving a definition for important terminology here, you should really check out this article: What is derivation?
- Derivation: The process of making new words based on original words by adding elements to them (johtaminen).
- Derivational element: The prefix, suffix or affix you add to a word to create a new word (johdin).
- Derivate: The new word that’s formed by adding a derivational element (johdos).
- Root word: The original word to which the derivational element is added (kantasana).
I use the following abbreviations: V for verb, Adj for adjective and Adv for adverb.
2. Finnish noun-forming derivational suffixes
2.1. Ystävätär, laulajatar: –tAr
The suffix TAR/TÄR can be added to nouns to indicate that the person referred to with the base word is female.
Derivation type: noun → noun
Productivity: very small group of truly established words (Wiktionary lists 86) but can in theory be added to similar nouns and create a word that will make sense to the other person.
- kuningas “king” N → kuningatar “queen” N
- ystävä “friend” N → ystävätär “female friend” N
- myyjä “salesperson” N → myyjätär “female salesperson” N
- perijä “heir” N → perijätär “heiress” N
2.2. Kirjasto, väestö: –stO
The suffix STO/STÖ creates nouns that refer to a collection (multitude) of the base word. There is a large group of words that refer to a certain group of people. These words are all based on nouns.
Derivation type: noun → noun
Productivity: Wiktionary lists 325 words, new words could be created with this suffix
- kasvi “plant” N → kasvisto “flora” N (multitude of base word)
- hylly “shelf” N → hyllystö “shelf unit” N (multitude of base word)
- henkilö “person” N → henkilöstö “staff” N (group of people)
- kirja “book” N → kirjasto “library” N (containing multitude of base word)
2.3. Myyjä, opiskelija: –jA
The suffix -ja/jä usually creates nouns that refer to a person or animal which does the action of the base word. The created noun describes the agent; it is not a tool. A portion of these nouns refer to professions (e.g. opettaja “teacher”, sairaanhoitaja “nurse”). This suffix is a productive element: new words with this element are created all the time.
Derivation type: verb → noun
Productivity: Wiktionary lists 1304 words, can be added to almost all verbs which can be conjugated
- lentää “to fly” V → lentäjä “pilot” N
- kalastaa “to fish” V → kalastaja “fisherman” N
- opettaa “to teach” V → opettaja “teacher” N
- luistella “to skate” V → luistelija “skater” N
2.4. Soitin, keitin: –in
The suffix -in is added to verbs, and often the relation between the verb and the noun’s function is very transparent. It creates nouns that describe the inanimate tool or instrument that helps us do the action.
Derivation type: verb → noun
Productivity: Wiktionary lists 389 nouns, this suffix is used to create new words
- avata “to open” V → avain “key” N
- keittää “to boil” V → vedenkeitin “water boiler” N
- laskea “to count” V → laskin “calculator” N
- tuulettaa “to fan” V → tuuletin “fan” N
2.5. Sattuma, esitelmä: –mA
Nouns derived with the suffix MA/MÄ refer to an action, the result of an action or the target of an action.
Derivation type: verb → noun
Productivity: Wiktionary lists 374 words, new words could possibly be created but very rarely
- elää “to live” V → elämä “life” N (action)
- osua “to hit” V → osuma “hit” N (result of the action)
- murtua “to break” V → murtuma “fracture” N (result of the action)
- juoda “to drink” V → juoma “drink” N (target of the action)
2.6. Opetus, ymmärrys: –Us
Nouns derived using the suffix US/YS refer to an action or the result of an action. They are all based on a verb. When inflected, -Us turns into -Ukse- in many of the cases.
Derivation type: verb → noun
Productivity: Wiktionary lists 2471 nouns, can be created from a very large number of verbs
- korjata “to fix, repair” V → korjaus “fix, repair” N (action)
- ymmärtää “to understand” V → ymmärrys “an understanding” N (action)
- maalata “to paint” V → maalaus “painting” N (result of the action)
- tulehtua “to infect” V → tulehdus “infection” N (result of the action)
2.7. Ostos, päätös: -Os
The suffix OS/ÖS creates nouns that refer to the result of an action. These words are all based on verbs, all of which belong to verbtype one apart from tehdä.
Derivation type: verb → noun
Productivity: Wiktionary lists 136 words with this suffix, new ones are unlikely to be created
- päättää “to decide” V → päätös “decision” N
- ostaa “to buy” V → ostos “purchase” N
- löytää “to find” V → löydös “finding, find” N
- tehdä “to do” V → teos “work, piece (e.g. of art)” N
2.8. Kysymys, hakemus: –mUs
The suffix MUS/MYS creates nouns that refer to an action, the result of an action or the target of an action. These words are all based on verbs. When inflected, -mUs turns into -mUkse- in many of the cases.
Derivation type: verb → noun
Productivity: Wiktionary lists 137 words, new words are unlikely to be created
- aikoa “to intend” V → aikomus “intention” N (action)
- luottaa “to trust” V → luottamus “trust” N (action)
- kysyä “to ask” V → kysymys “question” N (result of the action)
- pettyä “to be disappointed” V → pettymys “disappointment” N (result of the action)
- uskoa “to believe” V → uskomus “myth, belief” N (target of the action)
2.9. Vanhuus, terveys: –UUs
The suffix UUS/YYS (sometimes also: US/YS, or SUUS/SYYS) creates nouns that refer to a property. These words are all based on adjectives. When inflected, -Us turns into -Ude- or -Ute- in many of the cases.
Derivation type: adjective → noun
Productivity: Wiktionary lists 3823 words, can be created from a very large number of adjectives, productive
- laiska “lazy” A → laiskuus “laziness” N
- vanha “old” A → vanhuus “old age” N
- heikko “weak” A → heikkous “weakness” N
- erikoinen “special” A → erikoisuus “specialty” N
2.10. Avanto, luonto: –ntO
The suffix NTO/NTÖ creates nouns that refer to an action, the result of an action or the target of an action.
Derivation type: verb → noun
Productivity: not productive, Wiktionary lists 66 words
- tuottaa “to produce” V → tuotanto “production” N (action)
- keksiä “to invent” V → keksintö “invention” N (result of the action)
- sopia “to agree on” V → sovinto “reconciliation” N (result of the action)
- uskoa “to believe” V → uskonto “faith” N (target of the action)
- periä “to inherit” V → perintö “inheritance” N (target of the action)
2.11. Kysyntä, uusinta: –ntA
The suffix NTA/NTÄ is added to verbs to create a noun that expresses an action, sometimes also the result of an action.
Derivation type: verb → noun
Productivity: somewhat productive, Wiktionary lists 359 words
- uusia “to renew” V → uusinta “renewal” N
- lahjoa “to bribe” V → lahjonta “bribery” N
- pohtia “to reflect on” V → pohdinta “reflection” N
- valita “to choose” V → valinta “choice” N
2.12. Aavikko, kolikko: -kkO
The suffix KKO/KKÖ almost always has a noun or an adjective as its base word, though there are a couple of words created from verbs (e.g. häiritä “to disturb” → häirikkö “troublemaker”). A portion of these words actually end in IKKO/IKKÖ.
Derivation type: noun → noun / adjective → noun (very rarely: verb → noun)
Productivity: Wiktionary lists 163 words, new words technically possible but very rare
Nouns with the KKO/KKÖ suffix can have multiple meanings. Firstly, the suffix creates collective nouns, ie. nouns that describe an entity that consists of multiple of the base word. They can describe areas that are “covered” in the base word (e.g. land covered in pine trees). Secondly, the suffix KO/KÖ is used (often with loanwords) to create nouns that refer to a person for whom the base word is a characteristic.
- porras “step” N → portaikko “staircase” N
- mänty “pine tree” N → männikkö “pine forest” N
- musiikki “music” N → muusikko “musician” N
- anoreksia “anorexia” N → anorektikko “anorexic person” N
- tekninen “technical” Adj → teknikko “technician” N
- agnostinen “agnostic” Adj → agnostikko “agnostic person” N
2.13. Myymälä, neuvola: -lA
The derivational suffix -la/lä is added to words to create locations where the element from the first part of the word lives or is located. It is usually added to nouns, but can also be added to verbs as well as to a couple of adjectives. This is not a productive suffix, ie. new words are rarely created using the suffix.
Derivation type: noun → noun / verb → noun (rarely: adjective → noun)
Productivity: Wiktionary lists 877 nouns, new words could possibly be created but rarely
- ravinto “nourishment” N → ravintola “restaurant” N
- kahvi “coffee” N → kahvila “cafe, coffee shop” N
- myydä “to sell” V → myymälä “store” N
- sairas “sick” Adj → sairaala “hospital” N
2.14. Uiminen, siivoaminen: -minen
The suffix -minen is used to make nouns out of verbs, where the derived noun expresses the action being done. This form is often called verbaalisubstantiivi “verbal noun” or referred to as the fourth infinitive.
Derivation type: verb → noun
Productivity: very productive, can be added to all verbs
- lukea “to read” V → lukeminen “reading” N
- uida “to swim” V → uiminen “swimming” N
- matkustaa “to travel” V → matkustaminen “traveling” N
- tavata “to meet” V → tapaaminen “meeting” N
Noun derivation types not yet covered on Uusi kielemme:
- -ri: maalari, mittari, nauhuri
- -ke: sulake, osake, ärsyke
- -nne: avanne, liikenne, rakenne
- -nti: uinti, tupakointi, arviointi
- -O: tulo, meno, veto
- -U: pesu, nousu, lasku
- -mO: korjaamo, leipomo, heräämö
- -nA: narina, hurina, höpinä
3. Finnish adjective-forming derivational suffixes
3.1. Thaimaalainen, helsinkiläinen: -lAinen
The suffix LAINEN/LÄINEN can be added to cities, regions and countries in order to create a noun or an adjective that tells us of the origin of the thing or person. For example, with the addition of -lainen to Suomi “Finland”, we get suomalainen, which can mean both “a Finn” (noun: Suomalainen juo maitoa) and “Finnish” (adjective: Suomalainen maito on pahaa). In addition, the suffix -lainen is also added to a small number of adjectives (heikonlainen “weakish”) and pronouns (tällainen “this kind of”).
Derivation type: noun → adjective
Productivity: very productive, can be added to any city, region or country
- Suomi “Finland” N → suomalainen “Finn” N, “Finnish” Adj
- Helsinki “Helsinki” N → helsinkiläinen “Helsinkian” N, “Helsinkian” Adj
- täysi “full” Adj → täyteläinen “full, voluptuous” Adj
- tämä “this” pronoun → tällainen “this kind of” Adj
3.2. Työtön, avuton: –tOn
The suffix TON/TÖN creates adjectives that express a lack of the noun they are based on. It’s comparable to the English suffix -less (e.g. ageless).
Derivation type: noun → adjective
Productivity: productive, Wiktionary lists 491 words, can be added to new nouns and still make sense, even if they’re not well-established words
- sana “word” N → sanaton “wordless” Adj
- pilvi “cloud” N → pilvetön “cloudless” Adj
- virhe “mistake” N → virheetön “faultless, flawless” Adj
- parta “beard” N → parraton “beardless” Adj
3.3. Näkymätön, vaatimaton: –mAtOn
The same TON/TÖN suffix from työtön can also be added to verbs with a small tweak. The suffix MATON/MÄTÖN can be added to verbs to create adjectives that express the lack of the action they are based on.
Derivation type: verb → adjective
Productivity: Wiktionary lists 280 words, productive, can be added to new verbs and still make sense
- huomata “to notice” V → huomaamaton “unnoticed, inconspicuous” Adj
- pestä “to wash” V → pesemätön “unwashed” Adj
- näkyä “to be visible” V → näkymätön “invisible” Adj
- kokea “to experience” V → kokematon “inexperienced” Adj
3.4. Väsynyt, uupunut: –nUt
While we can technically call NUT/NYT a suffix, it’s also a verb form: the active past participle form or NUT-participle. This form can be used to form adjectives, which can also be used as nouns. See, for example, the word väsynyt (from the verb väsyä “to tire”) in the sentences “Väsynyt matkustaja nukahti” (the tired traveler fell asleep) and “Väsyneet pystyvät nukkumaan vaikka missä” (the tired can sleep anywhere).
Derivation type: verb → adjective / verb → noun
Productivity: productive, can be added to most verbs and make sense, even if it’s not a well-established word
- väsyä “to tire” V → väsynyt “tired” Adj/N
- kuolla “to die” V → kuollut “dead” Adj/N
- ruostua “to rust” V → ruostunut “rusted” Adj
- homehtua “to become moldy” V → homehtunut “moldy” Adj
3.5. Hylätty, tunnettu: -ttU
While we can technically call TTU/TTY a suffix, it’s also a verb form: the passive past participle form or TU-participle. Depending on the verb, you will have one t or two t’s. This verb form can be used as an adjective.
Derivation type: verb → adjective
Productivity: productive, can be added to most verbs and make sense, even if it’s not a well-established word
- kääntää “to translate” V → käännetty “translated” (book) Adj
- adoptoida “to adopt” V → adoptoitu “adopted” (child) Adj
- käyttää “to use” V → käytetty “used” (car) Adj
- avata “to open” V → avattu “opened” (bottle) Adj
3.6. Hurmaava, ratkaiseva: -vA
While we can technically call VA/VÄ a suffix, it’s also a verb form: the active present participle form or VA-participle. This verb form can be used as an adjective. I don’t currently have an article with more examples on this suffix. There is a fairly large number of words with this suffix that have lexicalized to mean something slightly different than what their base verb might express. In addition, a small portion of adjectives ending in -va/vä is based on a noun rather than a verb.
Derivation type: verb → adjective (very rarely: noun → adjective)
Productivity: very productive, can be added to most verbs and make sense, even if it’s not a well-established word
- hurmata “to charm, to beguile” V → hurmaava “fascinating, charming” (girl) Adj
- ratkaista “to decide, to solve” V → ratkaiseva “decisive, crucial” (factor) Adj
- polttaa “to burn” V → polttava “burning, urgent” (question) Adj
- käsi “hand” N → kätevä “handy” Adj
- ilma “air” N → ilmava “fluffy, airy” Adj
3.7. Hyväksyttävä, luotettava: -ttAvA
The suffix -ttAvA is actually part of the passive present participle or TAVA-participle. Depending on the verb, you will have one t or two t’s. This suffix is usually used to make adjectives, but there is also a small number of lexicalized nouns with this suffix. I don’t currently have an article with more examples on this suffix.
The meaning of this suffix can be divided into three groups: the passive meaning, necessity meaning and potential meaning. This means that syötävä sieni can mean “the mushroom that is being eaten” (passive), “the mushroom that must be eaten” (necessity) or “the mushroom that can be eaten” (potential).
Derivation type: verb → adjective
Productivity: very productive, can be added to most verbs and make sense, even if it’s not a well-established word
- kunnioittaa “to respect” V → kunnioitettava “respected, respectable” Adj
- nauraa “to laugh” V → naurettava “ridiculous, preposterous” Adj
- ymmärtää “to understand” V → ymmärrettävä “understandable” Adj
- luottaa “to trust” V → luotettava “trustworthy” Adj
3.8. Epäkohtelias, epäaito: epä-
Similar to the suffix TON/TÖN (see 2.2), the prefix epä– negates the base word. It’s comparable to the English prefixes in- and un- (invisible, uninterested). We can add it to adjectives in order to create a new adjective that’s the opposite of the base adjective, or a noun in order to create an opposite noun. There are also a couple of verbs with this prefix.
Derivation type: adjective → adjective / noun → noun
Productivity: Wiktionary lists 204 words, in everyday language you can create new words that make sense, even if they aren’t well-established
- ystävällinen “friendly” Adj → epäystävällinen “unfriendly” Adj
- kohtelias “polite” Adj → epäkohtelias “impolite” Adj
- toivo “hope” N → epätoivo “despair” N
- tasa-arvo “equality” N → epätasa-arvo “inequality” N
- onnistua “to succeed” V → epäonnistua “to fail, to be unsuccessful” V
3.9. Puinen, talvinen: -inen
The suffix INEN is added to nouns in order to create adjectives. The resulting adjective can have several meanings: it either contains, is made of, is covered in, or resembles the base word.
Derivation type: noun → noun
Productivity: fairly unproductive, but new words can be created and make sense to the other person
- suola “salt” N → suolainen “salty” (e.g. the sea) Adj (contains the base word)
- puu “tree, wood” N → puinen “wooden” (e.g. table) Adj (made from the base word)
- ruoho “grass” N → ruohoinen “grassy” (e.g. hill) Adj (covered in the base word)
- talvi “winter” N → talvinen “wintery” (e.g. weather) Adj (resembles the base word)
3.10. Ystävällinen, terveellinen: -llinen
The suffix LLINEN is added to nouns in order to create adjectives. The resulting adjective can have multiple meanings, some of which are less straight-forward in their meaning. Many of these are lexicalized.
Derivation type: noun → adjective (rarely: noun → noun / adjective → noun)
Productivity: Wiktionary lists 879 words, very productive
- ystävä “friend” N → ystävällinen “friendly” Adj (has the base word’s quality)
- hallinto “administration” N → hallinnollinen “administrative” Adj (has the base word’s function)
- hammas “tooth” N → hampaallinen “toothed” Adj (owns the base word)
- lusikka “spoon” N → lusikallinen “spoonful of” Adj (contains the quantity of the base word)
Adjective derivation types not yet covered on Uusi kielemme:
- -kAs: älykäs, arvokas, iäkäs
- –mAinen: aavemainen, pensasmainen, amatöörimäinen
- -vA: kiinnostava, arveluttava, hirvittävä
- -ttAvA: väsyttävä, uuvuttava, autettava
- -isA: ruokaisa, antoisa, ärtyisä
- -hkO: makeahko, laajahko, pienehkö
4. Finnish adverb-forming derivational suffixes
4.1. Nopeasti, hitaasti: -sti
The suffix STI is added to adjectives in order to create adverbs. It’s very similar to the English suffix -ly.
Derivation type: adjective → adverb
Productivity: extremely common, Wiktionary lists 2807 words, new words could potentially be added if more adjectives make it into the Finnish language
- nopea “quick, fact” Adj → nopeasti “quickly” Adv
- samanaikainen “simultaneous” Adj → samanaikaisesti “simultaneously” Adv
- kohtelias “polite” Adj → kohteliaasti “politely” Adv
- jatkuva “continuous” Adj → jatkuvasti “continuously” Adv
4.2. Päivittäin, pareittain: -ttAin
The suffix TTAIN/TTÄIN is used to create adverbs. Many of these adverbs have lexicalized (meaning that the relation between the base word and the adverbs is unclear). I highly suggest taking a closer look at the article on this topic.
Derivation type: adjective → adverb
Productivity: Wiktionary lists 183 words with this suffix, new words extremely unlikely to be created
- päivä “day” N → päivittäin “daily” Adv
- osa “part” N → osittain “partly” Adv
- kilo “kilo” N → kiloittain “by the kilo” Adv
- pitkä “long” Adj → pitkittäin “lengthwise” Adv
4.3. Vierekkäin, kasvokkain: -kkAin
The suffix KKAIN/KKÄIN is used to create adverbs. It’s most commonly used to express body parts facing each other (e.g. silmikkäin) or to modify a postposition (e.g. sisällä “inside” becomes sisäkkäin “inside one another”).
Derivation type: noun → adverb / postposition → adverb
Productivity: Wiktionary lists 37 words with this suffix, not productive at all
- kasvot “face” N → kasvokkain “face-to-face” Adv
- käsi “hand” N → käsikkäin “hand-in-hand” Adv
- vieressä “next to” PP → vierekkäin “side by side” Adv
- lähellä “closeby” PP → lähekkäin “close to one another” Adv
4.4. Päivisin, edestakaisin: -isin
The suffix ISIN is most commonly used with nouns to create adverbs of time. In addition, there are fixed phrases with this suffix.
Derivation type: noun → adverb
Productivity: Wiktionary lists 45 words with this suffix, not productive at all, many lexicalized fixed phrases
- maanantai “Monday” N → maanantaisin “on Mondays, every Morning” Adv
- aamu “morning” N → aamuisin “in the mornings, every morning” Adv
- talvi “winter” N → talvisin “in the winters, every winter” Adv
- lexicalized: takaisin “back”, toisin “differently”, väkisin “forcibly, bodily”
5. Finnish verb-forming derivational suffixes
5.1. Pukeutua, peseytyä: -UtUA
The derivational element UTUA has several meanings. Firstly, it’s used to create verbs with a reflexive meaning. By adding the suffix -utua/ytyä to certain verbs, the base verb’s meaning shifts from causing an action to a separate object to causing the same action to the subject themselves.
Derivation type: verb → verb
Productivity: not productive, partly lexicalized meanings
- pestä “to wash something/someone” V → peseytyä “to wash oneself” V
- ilmoittaa “to report, register something” V → ilmoittautua “to register oneself, to sign up for” V
- esittää “to present, to introduce something/someone” V → esittäytyä “to introduce oneself” V
- pakottaa “to force someone” V → pakottautua “to force oneself” V
5.2. Nopeutua, vaikeutua: -UtUA
The suffix -utua/ytyä is also used to create translative verbs. By adding the suffix -utua/ytyä to an adjective, you can express that the subject of the sentence gains the quality expressed by the adjective, or gains more of said quality. For example, vaikeutua can mean “to become difficult” or “to become more difficult”.
The suffix is also added to a small number of nouns to express that the subject gains similar characteristics of the noun.
Derivation type: adjective → verb / noun → verb
Productivity: could potentially be added to new words and still make sense
- sokea “blind” Adj → sokeutua “to become blind” V
- kipeä “painful” Adj → kipeytyä “to become (more) painful” V
- rasva “grease” N → rasvautua “to become greasy” V
- tukko “clog” N → tukkoutua “to become plugged” V
5.3. Tuhoutua, latautua: -UtUA
The derivational element UTUA also creates verbs with an automative meaning. For this, the suffix -utua/ytyä is added to a transitive verb to create a new verb that expresses that the action of the base verb happens without outside influence.
Derivation type: verb → verb
Productivity: not productive, partly lexicalized meanings
- tuhota “to destroy something” V → tuhoutua “to be destroyed” V
- lukita “to lock something” V → lukkiutua “to lock (by itself)” V
- aiheuttaa “to cause something” V → aiheutua “to be caused by, to ensue” V
- kuoria “to peel something” V → kuoriutua “to hatch, to come out of shell” V
5.4. Kehittyä, löytyä: -UA
The derivational element UA also creates verbs with an automative meaning, just like -UTUA can do. The suffix -ua/yä is only added to transitive verbtype 1 verbs to create a new verb that expresses that the action of the base verb happens without outside influence.
Derivation type: verb → verb
Productivity: not productive, partly lexicalized meanings
- kääntää “to turn something” V → kääntyä “to turn” V
- toistaa “to repeat something” V → toistua “to recur” V
- ylittää “to cross something” V → ylittyä “to exceed” V
- unohtaa “to forget something” V → unohtua “to be forgotten” V
5.5. Herättää, pudottaa: -ttAA
The derivation element TTAA is used to create causative verbs when added to an intransitive verb. A causative verb lets you express causing the action expressed by the base verb on an object or person.
Derivation type: verb → verb
Productivity: not productive
- herätä “to wake up” V → herättää “to wake someone up” V
- pudota “to fall” V → pudottaa “to drop something” V
- jäätyä “to freeze (over)” V → jäädyttää “to freeze something” V
- syntyä “to be born” V → synnyttää “to give birth to someone” V
5.6. Aivastuttaa, harmittaa: -ttAA / -tUttAA
When can also create emotive causative verbs with the suffix TTAA. When the base verb ends in -aa/ää, you will use TUTTAA as the derivational suffix. These verbs express that you are feeling like doing the action of the verb it’s based on, or are feeling the emotion expressed by the noun it’s based on.
Derivation type: verb → verb / noun → verb
Productivity: not productive
- nukkua “to sleep” V → nukuttaa “to feel sleepy” V
- aivastaa “to sneeze” V → aivastuttaa “to feel like sneezing” V
- nolo “embarrassment” N → nolottaa “to feel embarrassed” V
- pelko “fear” N → pelottaa “to be afraid” V
5.7. Teettää, korjauttaa: -ttAA
In Finnish, we mostly refer to the following verbs as teettoverbit, while in English you can come across the term “curative causative verbs”.
Derivation type: verb → verb
Productivity: not productive
- pestä “to wash something ” V → pesettää “to have something washed (by someone else)” V
- hinata “to tow a car” V → hinauttaa “to have a car towed (by someone else)” V
- kääntää “to translate something” V → käännättää “to have something translated (by someone else)” V
- rakentaa “to build” V → rakennuttaa “to have something built for you” V
Verb derivation types not yet covered on Uusi kielemme:
- -htAA: luikahtaa, nukahtaa, pimahtaa
- -AistA: pyyhkäistä, kiljaista, nuolaista
- -ellA: kirjoitella, muistella, nostella
- -skellA: lueskella, laskeskella, ammuskella
- There are actually many more groups of verb derivational suffixes – many of which have a very small number of words using the suffixes in question. I might some day collect all of those into one article rather than devoting a separate article for each.
That’s all for this article! Hopefully this information will help you figure out the meaning of words you might not be familiar yet with, by applying your knowledge of the suffixes in question! If you want to read more about derivation in the Finnish languages, I strongly recommend seeing if your local library might have the book “Miten sanoja johdetaan – suomen kielen johto-oppia” by Brown Anneli, Lepäsmaa Anna-Liisa and Silfverberg Leena. Unfortunately, new copies aren’t published anymore, so you can’t buy the book.
Oh great! This is so useful!
Another source for those that want to dive deeper and are able to read Finnish, is the web version of Iso suomen kielioppi, from $ 173 onward:
https://kaino.kotus.fi/visk/sisallys.php?p=173